Melinda Gates passes vote of confidence on El-Rufai’s govt

Wife of the richest man in world and co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), Mrs. Melinda Gates, on Wednesday passed vote of confidence on Kaduna State government under Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai.

Mrs. Gates further commended the governor for his leadership in improving child health in the state.

Mrs. Gates, who gave this assessment when she visited Kaduna,praised the state’s drive to improve range and credibility of data collection.

Mrs. Gates, who takes direct international flight to and fro Kaduna airport said: “Your commitment to data collection is really admirable. You can’t make decisions without data. We are pleased to help you with that”.

She assured the governor that the Gates Foundation has a joint interest with the Kaduna State Government to reduce infant mortality.

Assessing the progress on routine immunization, Mrs. Gates said the BMGF is impressed by the scale of the polio surveillance mounted by the Kaduna State Government.

Speaking further on the healthcare segment of the partnership between her foundation and Kaduna State, she said that the primary health centres will continue to be supported so that they can offer a broad range of services to patients.

Mrs. Gates also promised that the BMGF will invest more in agriculture and in promoting access to financial services.

He proposed that the partnership between the foundation and the state should be strengthened by making it to better cohere with the state’s priorities. These include maternal and child health, child spacing and nutrition.

The governor suggested that the BMGF should support the state’s data revolution, its state residency identification system and efforts to promote security and justice, and to address the root causes of poverty and development.

The governor noted that Mrs. Gates’ direct flight to Kaduna Airport is a welcome endorsement